Tottenham right to avoid Jackson Martinez signing

Tottenham boss Andre Villas-Boas has distanced the club with a move for FC Porto forward Jackson Martinez this summer, saying that Spurs are not interested in the forward. Although Spurs are being linked with a never-ending list of forwards this summer, avoiding the Colombia international may well be a good choice for the north London side.

Martinez is quite rightly being linked with a move to England, Italy and Spain, given that he scored 26 goals in 27 appearances in his debut campaign for the Estadio da Luz outfit last term. However, Ladbrokes’ Premier League betting odds indicate that Spurs would prefer to land David Villa, Roberto Soldado or Leandro Damiao.

The first reason that Tottenham should avoid Martinez is the fee. Dealing with Porto is always difficult; the Portuguese giants do not sell their best players unless their fee demands are met. Given that Porto are already £60 million richer after the sale of Joao Moutinho and James Rodriguez to AS Monaco earlier in the summer, they do not need to sell Martinez, and will only do so if Spurs pay top dollar.

The second reason is the calibre of other options potentially available for Spurs. The three aforementioned forwards all bring more to the table than Martinez, and are three of a host of attackers that Spurs could target. Villa brings a wealth of experience and a more rounded game that Martinez. Soldado has consistently scored a hat-ful of goals for Valencia in a strong league than Martinez. Damiao is younger, cheaper and a more all-round forward than Martinez.

Personally, a move for Damiao makes the most sense. He is at the right age to be a consistent threat for Spurs over the course of the next five years and has the potential to improve even more than his already-impressive pedigree. With Spurs reportedly close to signing his international compatriot Paulinho from Corinthians, and Sandro already at the club, there is potential for a Brazilian core to the White Hart Lane club.

Signing Damiao will not be easy, and Tottenham have failed to do so in the past, however the money they would spend on Martinez would be a better investment on the Internacional man.

There is no doubt that Martinez has the potential to be a top-class player in the Premier League, and could well be the player that Tottenham need to fire them into the top four. However, with the extortionate transfer fee and only one season of European football under his belt, Villas-Boas would be advised to spend his money elsewhere.